Newbie with nuvi 295w

[gadgetmeister]

Hi! I just got hold of the nuvi 295w and immediately loaded the RG standard map even before leaving the store at Viramall in GH. My choices were between the 295w and the 255. I went to the store of an ebayer hoping to get a 255w but sadly it was sold just a few hours before I arrived. The seller was very accommodating and even let me test both unit outside. What sold me to the 295w was the replaceable battery and the smaller form-factor. Its easier to use the 295w in pedestrian mode compared to the 255...

I am very pleased with the standard map but will definitely contribute to the development of RG. Hope its ok to send less than 10 updates to the map. I have some changes on street spellings (side streets Makati outskirts) and reall excited on sharing it to the community...

[gadgetmeister]

Initial impressions on the nuvi 295w

I already tried it upon going back to my office in Makati and I am very impressed with its accuracy, I only got a problem when it comes to initial boot of the 295w. Its actually weird since for the past two days the time to get from "Acquiring Satellite" to the time I get directions varies from a few seconds to a max of 10mins. Is this something I should be worry of? Or is it the norm?

I would really appreciate insights... Thanks!

[hbt]

hard to get sat. lock if theres a lot of tall buildings.

[pokz]

I already tried it upon going back to my office in Makati and I am very impressed with its accuracy, I only got a problem when it comes to initial boot of the 295w. Its actually weird since for the past two days the time to get from "Acquiring Satellite" to the time I get directions varies from a few seconds to a max of 10mins. Is this something I should be worry of? Or is it the norm?

I would really appreciate insights... Thanks!

normal boot up time should be between a few seconds to about a minute or so for cold boot ups. 10 minutes imo is too long especially for warm boot ups. take notice if the unusually long boot up takes place where satellite signals are distorted, like in makati cbd. if this is the case, then it may not be a cause for concern. also take note if boot up time improves in the succeeding days when you use your gps more often.

[B2Bomber]

...Hope its ok to send less than 10 updates to the map....

any number of contributions (or as you mentioned updates) are welcome. although I am not privy to how many contributions you need to gain contributor status

...for the past two days the time to get from "Acquiring Satellite" to the time I get directions varies from a few seconds to a max of 10mins. Is this something I should be worry of? Or is it the norm?

TTFF or time to first fix during a warm or a cold boot depends on several factors. Some of which would be if you're last fix was very far away from your current location and signal strength. I don't think you have to worry about this for now. Maybe you're just in a place where signal's blocked by tall buildings or even your tint.
Ofcourse if you parked your car inside a building parking area, don't expect you that you'll get sat locks by the time you're ready to drive off.
BTW: Welcome to RG.Ph

[gadgetmeister]

hard to get sat. lock if theres a lot of tall buildings.

normal boot up time should be between a few seconds to about a minute or so for cold boot ups. 10 minutes imo is too long especially for warm boot ups. take notice if the unusually long boot up takes place where satellite signals are distorted, like in makati cbd. if this is the case, then it may not be a cause for concern. also take note if boot up time improves in the succeeding days when you use your gps more often.

Thank you so much for the very quick response. It seems TTFF (as per B2Bomber) is highly dependent on many factors. I live in Makati and the GPS signal might be distorted. I will fully test the 295w over the weekend when the family goes to Baguio for a much needed vacation.

any number of contributions (or as you mentioned updates) are welcome. although I am not privy to how many contributions you need to gain contributor status
TTFF or time to first fix during a warm or a cold boot depends on several factors. Some of which would be if you're last fix was very far away from your current location and signal strength. I don't think you have to worry about this for now. Maybe you're just in a place where signal's blocked by tall buildings or even your tint.
Ofcourse if you parked your car inside a building parking area, don't expect you that you'll get sat locks by the time you're ready to drive off.
BTW: Welcome to RG.Ph

So tint is also a consideration? I have VKool installed and I have some experiences with ePass. Would this drastically reduce GPS signal?

[gadgetmeister]

Oh by the way, How long does the battery last for your nuvi's? I had to attend to numerous meetings today, started at around 8am and was done by around 4pm and the 295w just barely made it for charging to my office computer. I reckon I got a good 3-4 hours actual usage. How does it compare to the other nuvi's w/ built-in battery? The 295w has a removable battery but its kinda small.

[B2Bomber]

tint could play a factor, but i wouldn't say it'd be drastic. nuvi's are meant to be automobile units which are plugged in to the vehicle power when in use. hence, their battery life don't really extend that long. mine's about 2-3hrs, depending on settings and use.
i take it your unit doesn't come with a car charger and a mount out of the box?

[gadgetmeister]

tint could play a factor, but i wouldn't say it'd be drastic. nuvi's are meant to be automobile units which are plugged in to the vehicle power when in use. hence, their battery life don't really extend that long. mine's about 2-3hrs, depending on settings and use.
i take it your unit doesn't come with a car charger and a mount out of the box?

Oh ok at least I still get decent GPS signal even with black-out tints. I just have to check whether the slow TTFF is really because I'm in Makati with alot of tall building specially in my condo.

I have the complete package with the car charger and mount with suction cup. Its the actual retail package being sold in Amazon with the frustration-free box.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

I just need another mount so I can transfer the 295w from my car to wifey's. Also upon hearing the the suction leaves a mark on the tint I am looking at other ways of mounting the GPS. I will be getting the vent mount from a fellow member later today and will test that one out.

[hbt]

b2bomber is correct. AFAIK tint plays a major part specially vcool tint

[B2Bomber]

Oh ok at least I still get decent GPS signal even with black-out tints. I just have to check whether the slow TTFF is really because I'm in Makati with alot of tall building specially in my condo.

I have the complete package with the car charger and mount with suction cup. Its the actual retail package being sold in Amazon with the frustration-free box.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

I just need another mount so I can transfer the 295w from my car to wifey's. Also upon hearing the the suction leaves a mark on the tint I am looking at other ways of mounting the GPS. I will be getting the vent mount from a fellow member later today and will test that one out.

Might as well get an AR-50 from him too if you're worried about your signal. As I believe, based from what I've read, the vkool tints have "alot of metal" in them, hence a possible shielding effect. You could probably research about v-kool regarding this.

[arvin555]

Hi!

I myself am a fan of the Suction cup mount, was able to transfer from one car to the other without any fuss, so far no problems found with the "marking" but that is probably because I take it off every after use.

I have a suggestion, if you want another set of charge for your wife's car, you can just go to CDR king and buy a USB cig lighter charger, if you can, look for one that even comes with a mini USB cord, or just buy one at the same shop. This way you can have a charger for your self and for your wife's. I am assuming that all Nuvi units are charged with the same miniUSB connector.

HTH (HBT I got to use it already )

TTFN
Arvin

[teamjm]

Gadgetmeister, tried emailing you the instructions but seems like wrong email ad?

[jonjel]

Hi Guys. Bought a nuvi 295w from amazon but haven't figured out how to install the map. How do I install the map? Thanks for your help